September 26 DVD roundup

You can see the new “Transformers” movie today or this week; Or as my colleague Rene Guzman does over at Geek Speak; watch a bag of rocks in the dryer for two hours. If that’s not your speed, there are plenty of documentaries in the pile this week.

Usual rules apply: synopses are taken from the press releases and Amazon descriptions; snarky commentary is extra. Rotten Tomatoes ratings are included where available. Prices include Amazon links so you can purchase them online (and cheaper to boot!). We also invite you to check out our Facebook Page in order to get more alerts on upcoming releases.

3 Idiotas: (3 Idiots)
Lionsgate, PG-13, 106 minutes
DVD retail price: $19.98DVD Amazon price: $12.99
Pancho (Alfonso Dosal) had everything — smarts, a promising future, and a loving girlfriend, Mariana (Martha Higareda) — and then he disappeared on graduation day. Now, years later, Felipe (Christian Vázquez) and Beto (German Valdés) set out on a quest to find their long-lost pal and reunite him with Mariana. Also stars Vadhir Derbez, Sebastián Zurita. In Spanish with English subtitles. No extras listed.

47 Meters Down
Lionsgate, PG-13, 89 minutesRotten Tomatoes ranking: 53DVD retail price: $29.95DVD Amazon price: $14.99
BD/DVD/Digital copy retail price: $39.99BD/DVD/Digital copy Amazon price: $19.99
Sisters Lisa (Mandy Moore) and Kate (Claire Holt) become trapped at the bottom of the ocean when a diving expedition to observe sharks goes horribly wrong. When the cable attaching the cage sinks to the bottom of the ocean, the sisters must figure out a way to get back to safety battling injuries, lack of oxygen, and worst of all, bloodthirsty, great white sharks. Also stars Matthew Modine. This had been scheduled as a DVD-only last year, but was pulled before its release date due to a change in studio ownership. Review copies with the title “In The Deep” had been sent out to reviewers and have since turned up on eBay as collector’s items. Too bad I gave my copy away to charity. No extras listed.

Bite Size
Film Movement, not rated, 80 minutes
DVD retail price: $24.95DVD Amazon price: $23.94
Over the last thirty years, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled. Documentary follows four kids who struggle daily with obesity as they search for a healthier life-style despite social pressures, old habits, and even their own parents. DVD extras: featurettes.

Channel Zero: Candle Cove, Season One
Universal, not rated, 261 minutes, 6 episodes, 2 discsRotten Tomatoes ranking: 92
DVD retail price: $29.98DVD Amazon price: $19.99
SyFy Channel horror anthology series centers on one man’s (Paul Schneider) obsessive recollections of a mysterious children’s television program from the 1980’s, which almost no one seems to remember. He grows increasingly suspicious of the role it may have played in a series of nightmarish events from his childhood, including the disappearance of his twin brother. Also stars Fiona Shaw, Natalie Brown, Luisa D’Oliveira, Shaun Benson. DVD extras: deleted scenes.

The Dead Next Door
MVD Visual, not rated, 78 minutes
BD/DVD retail price: $29.95BD/DVD Amazon price: $18.89
Story centers on the members of the “Zombie Squad” – an assault team trained in the hunting and extermination of the living dead – and their mission to track down the scientists who developed a zombie-making virus and find the rumored antidote. Of the many lethal obstacles in their path, the deadliest comes in the form of a religious cult whose leader sees the zombie epidemic as a precursor of Armageddon – and is bent on expediting it. Regarded as the most expensive Super 8 movie ever made. BD/DVD extras: featurettes, commentary, cast interviews.

The Devil’s Candy
IFC Films/Scream! Factory, not rated, 80 minutesRotten Tomatoes ranking: 92
BD retail price: $22.97BD Amazon price: $12.58
Diehard metal-head and struggling artist Jesse (Ethan Embry) moves with his wife (Shiri Appleby) and daughter (Kiara Glasco) to a rural Texas town, unaware that the house they got for an unbelievable deal comes with a grisly history. Their dream home turns into a nightmare as disturbing demonic occurrences culminate with the appearance of Ray (Pruitt Taylor Vince), the home’s former resident who’s destined to do the devil’s bidding. Featuring the music of Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, and Sunn O. BD extras: photo gallery, music video, live-action short, featurette, commentary.

Documented
Film Movement, not rated, 89 minutesRotten Tomatoes ranking: 71
DVD retail price: $24.95DVD Amazon price: $23.94
Following his 2011 essay published in the New York Times Magazine, titled “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant,” Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas outed himself as one of 11 million undocumented American immigrants. Film follows the recently out Vargas as he travels the country, lending his voice to the cause of immigration reform and dealing with the media backlash of being ‘out’ in America.

Encirclement
IndiePix, not rated, 160 minutes
DVD retail price: $24.95DVD Amazon price: $24.95
Reissue of 2008 French documentary sketches a portrait of neo-liberal ideology and examines the various mechanisms used to impose its dictates throughout the world. In French with English subtitles. No extras listed.

Girl in The Box
Lifetime, PG, 88 minutes
DVD retail price: $14.98
In May 1977, 20-year-old hitchhiker Colleen Stan (Addison Timlin) was kidnapped by a young married couple, Cameron (Zane Holtz) and Janice (Zelda Williams) Hooker. For the next seven years they kept her locked in a coffin-sized box hidden beneath their bed for up to 23 hours a day. When not imprisoned, Colleen became part of a strange new life as a live-in slave, family child-minder, and victim of Cameron’s bizarre and extreme S&M fantasies. Exclusively at Walmart. No extras listed.

Grow House
Fox, R, 96 minutes
DVD/Digital copy retail price: $22.98DVD/Digital copy Amazon price: $22.39
Pat (DeRay Davis) and Darius (Lil Duval) try to figure out how they can help the medical marijuana movement – but mostly help themselves – by trying to grow their own cannabis. There’s only one problem – knowing how to smoke marijuana doesn’t mean you know how to grow it. Also stars Malcolm McDowell, Snoop Dogg (playing himself). Directed by DJ Pooh. I kinda doubt that he’s affiliated with Disney. No extras listed.

In Country
Film Movement, not rated, 80 minutesRotten Tomatoes ranking: 90
DVD retail price: $24.95DVD Amazon price: $23.94
For one weekend a year, the woods of Oregon transform as a mix of combat enthusiasts, Iraq veterans, and even a former South Vietnamese Army officer, revive a war that a whole generation would much rather forget: The Vietnam War. 2014 documentary is probably a good supplement to the current Ken Burns documentary series on PBS. DVD extras: featurettes.

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Warner Bros., not rated, 22 minutesRotten Tomatoes ranking: 94
4K/BD/Digital copy retail price: $29.984K/BD/Digital copy Amazon price: $19.96
1966 cartoon has the Peanuts gang celebrating Halloween, with Linus rhapsodizing about The Great Pumpkin. Includes two bonus specials: “It’s Magic, Charlie Brown” and “Charlie Brown’s All-Stars.” “Thanksgiving” and “Christmas,” will be released in 4K later this year, both separately and as a box set.4K/BD/Digital copy extras: animated short.

Kuu Kuu Harajuku: Super Kawaii
Shout! Factory, not rated, 132 minutes, 12 episodes
DVD retail price: $14.98DVD Amazon price: $13.26
Love, Angel, Music, Baby and G, the members of the super cool band HJ5, and their lovably incompetent manager Rudie. They travel all over the globe to put on shows for their fans, but only if they can actually get through the crazy adventures keeping them from their gigs. No extras listed.

L.O.R.D.: Legend of Ravaging Dynasties
Lionsgate, not rated, 93 minutes
DVD retail price: $14.98DVD Amazon price: $14.97
In a distant time, seven lords who wield powers beyond imagination share dominion over a world. But when one lord falls from grace, the others summon all their magic to stop an epic war that is ravaging the land and threatening the order of the universe. Stars Fan Bingbing, Kris Wu, Cheney Chen No extras listed.

Lycan
MVD Visual, not rated, 87 minutes
DVD retail price: $19.95DVD Amazon price: $16.65
BD retail price: $24.95BD Amazon price: $20.08
When six college kids in a sleepy Southern town are assigned a group project to rediscover a moment in history, one of them sets in motion a horrific fate when he proposes they head into the Georgia backwoods to tackle the legend of Emily Burt, the Talbot County werewolf. Stars Dania Ramirez, Gail O’Grady, Parker Croft, Vanessa Angel, Rebekah Graf, Kalia Prescot, Jake Lockett, Alina Puscau, Craig Tate. No extras listed.

Mickey Mouse: Merry & Scary
Disney, not rated, 43 minutes, 7 episodes
DVD retail price: $19.99DVD Amazon price: $19.99
Two “contemporary classic” shorts starring Mickey and Donald Duck: “Duck the Halls,” in which Donald chooses not to migrate south in order to experience his first Christmas; and “The Scariest Story Ever,” in which Mickey tricks out his home as a tomb in order to throw a scary Halloween party. Plus five 3-minute shorts. No extras listed.

Mune: Guardian of the Moon
GKids/Universal, PG, 86 minutes
DVD retail price: $22.98DVD Amazon price: $19.78
BD/DVD/Digital copy retail price: $29.98BD/DVD/Digital copy Amazon price: $25.36
In a land far away, the sun and moon shine only thanks to heroic Guardians. But when an unlikely little creature, Mune (voice of Joshua J. Ballard), is chosen to be the new Guardian of the Moon, a vengeful ex-Guardian takes advantage of his inexperience and steals the sun! Now Mune must team up with Sohone (Trevor Devall), the swaggering Guardian of the Sun, and Glim (Nicole Provost), a headstrong girl with a taste for adventure, to rescue the sun and save their world. Also stars Rob Lowe, Christian Slater, Patton Oswalt, Ed Helms, Jeff Dunham. DVD extras: photo gallery, featurette.

Oncle Bernard: A Counter Lesson In Economics
IndiePix, not rated, 79 minutes
DVD retail price: $24.95DVD Amazon price: $24.95
Interview culled from the documentary “Encirclement” (listed above) with French economist Bernard Maris, a.k.a. Oncle Bernard, who was killed in the Charlie Hebdo attack on January 7, 2015. It is a counter lesson in world economics, challenging the dogmas that are associated with the science of economics. In French with English subtitles. No extras listed.

Queen Of The Desert
IFC Films/Shout! Factory, PG-13, 128 minutesRotten Tomatoes ranking: 15
BD retail price: $24.97BD Amazon price: $14.49
Gertrude Bell (Nicole Kidman) chafes against the stifling rigidity of life in turn-of-the-century England, leaving it behind for a chance to travel to Tehran. This begins her lifelong adventure across the Arab world, a journey marked by danger, a passionate affair with a British officer (James Franco), and an encounter with the legendary T.E. Lawrence (Robert Pattinson). Appears to be a rare miss for director Werner Herzog. No extras listed.

A Quiet Place In The Country
Shout! Factory, R, 106 minutes
BD retail price: $29.99BD Amazon price: $20.59
A prominent painter Leonardo (Franco Nero) is plagued by nightmares that include himself and his lover/press agent Flavia (Vanessa Redgrave). So he rents a villa in the countryside to relax. Between creating a new painting and trying to fix up the dilapidated cottage, Leonardo’s nightmares continue are now getting worse. Also stars Georges Géret, Gabriella Grimaldi, Madeleine Damien, Rita Calderoni. In Italian with English subtitles. BD extras: interviews, commentary.

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Shout! Factory, PG, 113 minutesRotten Tomatoes ranking: 15
BD retail price: $26.99BD Amazon price: $18.49
The one and only Billy Shears (Peter Frampton) and his best friends the Hendersons (The Bee Gees) are four young men from the quaint little town of Heartland. With superstardom calling, this fabulous foursome leaves Heartland (and Billy’s beloved Strawberry Fields, Sandy Farina) vulnerable to mean Mr. Mustard, who steals Sgt. Pepper’s magical instruments for a fiendish, “evil force that would poison young minds, pollute the environment, and subvert the democratic process.” It’s up to our heroes to save everything they hold dear with the power of music, kindness, and heart. Featuring performances by Aerosmith, George Burns, Steve Martin, Earth, Wind & Fire, and more. I’d forgotten how bad this really was until I just watched a clip of Martin butchering “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.” Still, I suppose it might now be construed as high camp. But if you want a better Beatles movie, go watch “Yellow Submarine.” BD extras: commentary.

Sign Painters
Film Movement, not rated, 81 minutes
DVD retail price: $24.95DVD Amazon price: $23.94
With the advent of contemporary advertising came a new American craft: hand-painted signs. The sign painter wasn’t an artist, but a one man ad agency adhering to the laws of type and design with the sole intention of creating a work that would endure on a wall long after a product had launched. Scaling buildings for one client after the next, these counter-cultural painters developed the style of our cities before the creation of a cheap, tech-driven advancement in vinyl lettering nearly shut them out of business. Documentary examines the select few painters who stuck around in the midst of dwindling demand and catalyzed a resurgence of sign painting and street art in advertising today. DVD extras: featurettes.

Sleepy Hollow: The Complete Fourth Season
Fox, not rated, 566 minutes, 13 episodes, 4 discs
DVD retail price: $29.98DVD Amazon price: $22.99
Following a 250-year slumber, Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) devotes his life and knowledge of the supernatural to defeating the demonic forces that plague present-day Sleepy Hollow. But after the death of his partner, Crane is then led out of town by a mysterious group promising to put him in charge of an evil-fighting organization created hundreds of years ago by George Washington. Crane now finds himself in Washington, D.C., working with all-new allies in order to defeat evil and save democracy. Also stars Janina Gavankar, Lyndie Greenwood, Jeremy Davies, Rachel Melvin, Jerry MacKinnon. DVD extras: deleted scenes.

Taken: Season One
Lionsgate, not rated, 440 minutes, 10 episodes, 3 discsRotten Tomatoes ranking: 35
retail price: $39.98Amazon price: $27.99
BD/DVD/Digital copy retail price: $42.99BD/DVD/Digital copy Amazon price: $29.99
A former Green Beret, Bryan Mills (Clive Standen, playing the younger version of Liam Neeson in the film franchise) becomes swept up in a quest for vengeance after he fails to protect one of those closest to him. Recruited to join a group of CIA operatives, Mills begins to hone his deadly skills as he dives headfirst into dangerous missions that test his courage, and push him to the edge. Also stars Jennifer Beals, Brooklyn Sudano, Monique Gabriela Curnen, Gaius Charle, Michael Irby, James Landry Hébert, Jose Pablo Cantillo. BD/DVD/Digital copy extras: featurette.